This study is unique in its analysis of the aesthetic dimensions of Burke's writings and for the understanding of his thought that an exposition of an aesthetic language provides. This interpretation of Burke begins with particular attention to the circumstances in which he lived and wrote. The outline of Burke's life forms the basis for the more specific insights developed in the following chapters. White asks:`If we identify Burke's wisdom with his critique of revolutionary radicalism and nationalism, then do we not have to admit that his significance as a political thinker recedes in the late 20th century as the threat [of revolution] itself recedes?' White seeks to broaden Burke's significance and discover ways in which he might still speak directly to us after the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.